Comments Off on Ecosistema Urbano envisions bioclimatic domes for Florida’s West Palm waterfront

This green masterplan for the West Palm Beach in Florida will include the first public bioclimatic domes in the U.S. adorned with hanging gardens. Architecture film Ecosistema Urbano submitted this proposal to the Shore to Core competition, which invited international designers, planners and architects to envision the future of the West Palm Beach waterfront. Van Alen Institute and the West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (WPB CRA) awarded their Open Shore project first prize, out of a pool of over 40 international teams. The proposal envisions new amenities that reflect the city’s social and ethnic complexity. The design also shows how the city’s Banyan Garage can be upcycled into a mixed-use building that includes a farmers market, co-working spaces and skyline viewing platforms. Thematic alleyways feature rock climbing walls, interactive exhibition spaces and lots of foliage. Bioclimatic domes, the first public ones in the U.S., will be adorned with handing gardens , creating climatically comfortable spaces year round. Related: SOM Unveils Miami Multimodal Hub for All Aboard Florida’s New Rail Network “Ecosistema Urbano’s proposal addresses social cohesion in a compelling way by integrating locally responsive systems with a welcoming public space that will further diversify the city,” said David van der Leer, Executive Director of Van Alen Institute. “We’re thrilled that West Palm Beach is looking to the future and rethinking how to create a downtown that is uniquely theirs— a downtown that enhances the wellbeing of residents and visitors alike.” + Ecosistema Urbano + Van Alen Institute + West Palm Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (WPB CRA)

Comments Off on A tropical paradise grows inside this multigenerational home in Singapore

Like many traditional Asian homes, the 1,494.7-square-meter Cornwall Gardens is a courtyard house where the main rooms of the home open up to a central outdoor space. Cornwall Gardens’ courtyard features a large swimming pool, waterfall, and Koi carp pond, all ringed by natural rocks and green foliage. “The setting provides daylighting, natural ventilation , and passive cooling,” said Chang Architects. “It offers an ecological-friendly environment that promotes general wellness for all. Working with the existing terrain, built-ups that contributed to the site coverage are utilised as planters for tropical fruit trees, to cool ambient temperature, and to insulate the interiors.” The main rooms of the home overlook the central courtyard and have access to natural light and fresh air. Some of the climbing vines that hang over the homes provide shade from the sun and double as privacy screens. The basement level, where the Koi carp pond, swimming pool, and a waterfall are located, also features the dining room (next to the pool), kitchen, lounge, bedroom, and sun decks. A bridge connecting the lounge and dining area separates the Koi pond from the swimming pool. The first story houses the three additional bedrooms and the library and also has access to the driveway, while the second story contains the grandparents’ suite, a gym, dining, and a small extra bedroom. The accessible roof is covered in a series of terraced gardens . Rooms can be expanded and converted to accommodate additional family members as needed. Related: Atelier Sacha Cotture Clads Filipino Courtyard House in Low-Cost Bamboo and Solar Panels The home is clad in a charcoal timber façade that extends into the interior and has the ability to filter air pollutants . The front door was made from recycled railway sleepers. Rainwater is captured and recycled for irrigation and the verdant landscaping has attracted many fauna and flora to the area. + Chang Architects Via Dezeen Images via Chang Architects

Comments Off on Copenhagen’s Hanging Gardens will allow residents to grow and sell their own vegetables on-site

Designed with sustainability in mind, the Hanging Gardens Tower is envisioned with locally sourced construction materials and its gardens provide benefits to the environment through the management of rainwater, habitat creation for local fauna, and air purification. The building features a checkered facade with floor-to-ceiling windows that alternate with prefabricated angled bays. The tower’s identical bays provide room for an outdoor balcony and gardens, while its angled form helps provide privacy and protect the interior from solar heat gain. Related: MVRDV’s Gorgeous Tunnel-Shaped Market Hall Opens its Doors in Rotterdam Each apartment will have access to a private vegetable garden and hanging gardens , where residents can grow their produce. Residents will also be able to trade and sell their produce on the ground floor farmer’s market, an addition inspired by the site’s history as a former vegetable market. “The utilization of contextual shapes in new combinations gave the building a series of architectural benefits for the residents,” write the architects. “As an example, the layout of the facade generates more than 200 balconies, without compromising the daylight intake of the apartments. The geometry furthermore shields the users from wind nuisance, while enhancing the acoustic environment of the balconies. Lastly the balconies are designed to give the highest amount of comfort, in respect to daylight and privacy.” The Hanging Gardens Tower is slated to begin construction by April 2017. + Studio LOKAL Via ArchDaily Images via Studio LOKAL

Comments Off on Hanging highway garden in So Paulo would filter 20% of car emissions

Franco-Brazilian firm Triptyque Architecture has unveiled an ambitious plan to convert the long-neglected Minhocão viaduct undersection into a vibrant public space covered in suspended plants . Working with landscape architect Guil Blanche, the architects plan to hang oxygen-heavy plants over three kilometers of the elevated section to filter 20 percent of CO2 emissions. The Minhocão viaduct was built in 1971 when São Paulo was in a period of rapid growth. However, due to the ensuing noise and pollution caused by traffic, the elevated highway became more of a nuisance than a blessing to the community. Related: Beirut Wonder Forest Would Cover the Lebanese Capitol With Hanging Gardens After asking members of said community for input, the architects designed a plan to transform the derelict area under the elevated section into a welcoming urban space that reflects local identity. The project will focus on creating an open public rendezvous spot that will not only be pleasant to the eye and enjoyable for visitors, but will also actively reduce the amount of carbon emissions in the area. All of the greenery planned for the project has been chosen specifically for its air-cleaning qualities , and is expected to filter out some 20 percent of emissions produced by cars that pass through. To care for the ultra-green design, the architects plan to open the covered area as much as possible to allow for an optimal amount of natural light . Additionally, a natural water harvesting system will be used to water the plants. The vaporization of the water will also be used to clean the surface areas. Once complete, the renovated area will be used for community events and cultural programs. Specifically, the new Marquise will have four designated blocks, marked off by pillars, that will house distinct programs: culture, food, services and shops. + Triptyque Architecture Via World Architecture News

Comments Off on Harvard chemist engineers a superbug that converts inhaled CO2 into fuel

Over the past few years, the number of headlines relating to the increasing levels of carbon dioxide emissions have skyrocketed, and it’s pretty much all bad news. However, one scientist has been looking for ways to turn our collective frowns upside down, and now he thinks he’s found it. Harvard Professor of Energy Daniel G. Nocera says he’s engineered a bacterium that inhales CO2 and excess hydrogen and then turns them into alcohol fuel . Nocera, known as the man who invented the artificial leaf five years ago, has been working in his research lab at Harvard to develop bacteria that could perform as well as plants, which convert carbon dioxide into fuel at a rate of about five percent. Skeptics said he would have a difficult time matching that rate, and many were stunned when the chemist announced that his engineered superbug converts sunlight 10 times more efficiently than plants. The bacteria, called Ralston eutropha , consumes hydrogen and CO2, and converts them into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Nocera and his team drew from earlier research by Anthony Sinskey, a professor of microbiology at MIT, and inserted genes that cause the bacteria to convert the ATP to alcohol fuel and excrete it. Related: Liquid energy: scientists unveil microbes that turn sun and CO2 into fuel The practical applications of a CO2-breathing superbug are virtually unlimited, in part because the resulting alcohol fuels require no additional processing before being used. “Right now we’re making isopropanol, isobutanol, isopentanol,” he said in a lecture to the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago. “These are all alcohols you can burn directly. And it’s coming from hydrogen from split water, and it’s breathing in CO2. That’s what this bug’s doing.” During his announcement in Chicago on May 18, Nocera joked that the news of this development was “hot off the press.” His study results haven’t even been published yet, but they will be soon in an upcoming issue of the journal Science. From there, he expects a lot of people to get really excited about potential applications. Although, he warns that his superbug isn’t the solution to excess CO2 in our atmosphere . Rather, it could help keep fossil fuels in the ground. “This isn’t solving your CO2 problem,” he said. ”I’m taking CO2 out of the air, you burn it and you put the CO2 back. So it’s carbon neutral.” Via Forbes Images via University of Chicago and Wikipedia

Comments Off on IKEA is launching a chainless bicycle called SLADDA this year

Oh, IKEA , how do we love thee? Let us count the ways… Beyond the scads of flat-pack furniture, indoor herb gardens , and solar-powered shelters for emergency victims, the Swedish retailer is gearing up to launch a new product that is nothing short of a revelation. Later this year, IKEA will begin selling a chainless bicycle called SLADDA , and the multiple award-winning design has already been dubbed the “best of the best.” Come August, we’ll get to find out how true that is. Read the rest of IKEA is launching a chainless bicycle called SLADDA this year